"There isn't a place I would call home"

Marco Alexandro Ippoliti, a craft man

By Vincent Echenique (Twitter @VinceEchenique Instagram: @FFmvincent)

A shy German, Swiss Italian? a new European, one would say. But Marco Alexandro Ippoliti (28) defines himself a lot simpler: a man in search for renewed identity. Therefore, he does not
feel that comfortable by tagging a place as his home. It is really interesting to pinpoint where he is actually from. In his young age, he had already lived in many places. Phonetically, he
sounds like a mixture of Italian, German and Swiss. Rare, right? No, he is, perhaps, the new face of a new old continent, the face of a culturally renewed Europe. In conversation with Marco
Alexandro Ippoliti about him and his work, one gets confronted to questions concerning the actual meaning of artistic identity.

When asked about defining himself, Ippoliti replied convincingly: "I´m a craftman". That simple definition seems to apply to the way he works, to the very essence of creating a
sculpture, the humble process of dealing with momentaneous ideas that come to life into a fusion of materials. Nevertheless, he does sense a sort of unconscious reflection of her Italian
childhood on part of what he does. "There isn't a place I would call home. But I noticed, that Italy is important for me. My sculptures possess some sacralic vibes, which definitely relate to
my childhood in Italy and the Roman catholic church and that differ me from other young German artists. Some say vicious: pathos. This seems to be „Italian“. I like the idea that an artist can
call any place his home," reflected Ippoliti.

But not him. Actually, Ippoliti feels artistically home where he lives at a given time. "I've worked in Rome, Berlin and Francfort. Now I live near the North Sea. And the silence and the
boredom there have once more changed a lot myself and my artwork," said Ippoliti.

"The dialogue with the materials prevails" - Marco Alexandro Ippoliti

Today´s artistic movement features would not be found on Ippoliti´s artwork. He does not feel represented by the today´s sculpture scenes, "because the connection and the dialogue with the
material is much more important for me than a any conceptual approach. I feel related to contemporary painters with their surrealistic and collage-like approach to human issues,"
Ippoliti explained.

Not surprisingly, Ippoliti has always looked up to Burri, thanks to his special sense for all kind of materials. "Burri is a kind of idol to me. He has so such a great feeling for all kind of
materials such as asphalt, burlap, and the way he draws attention to all these third class substances, I like that," he said. Ippoliti also admires and "envies" Hieronimus Bosch because of
his fantasy and imagination. However, he still believes that his experiences and encounters are what drive his art the most.

As a matter of fact, these are sources of information for his work. Readings, meetings, observations, and the like are just some of many ways of starting his artworks. "It starts by something
I read, a picture I've seen, a person I met, a strange formed piece I found on the scrap yard. But also the sculptures I made so far, have an influence on my next work. They demand certain
consequences or experiments. With my sculptures I try to turn something visible, that is difficult to express with words, as a dialogue. In this way, my sculptures are in a way allegoric, but
they are also actors of a, let's say, „fantastic“theatre, now we're maybe back in Italy, the commedia dell'arte," he concluded.

Marco Alexandro Ippolito rarely identifies himself with conventions: he just replied jokely, "which one?", and laughed when asked about his slogan in life. Genuine.

Further Information on the Artist´s work on www.marcoalexandroippoliti.com